Heroic Girl Saves Family

Heroic Girl Saves Family

Article excerpt

Last May, 11-year-old Breanne Gaines of Anchorage, Alaska, did what many pre-teen girls like to do--she stayed overnight with a friend. Breanne and her friend, Kimberlee Dresnek, spent the night in a tent pitched on the porch of the Dresneks' mobile home, adding to their sense of adventure.

But around 5 a.m. on May 30, the girls were awakened by a scream from Kimberlee's mother. As they awoke, they saw that pieces of burning plastic were raining down on them. To their shock, the girls discovered that the mobile home was on fire, and the fire had spread to their tent! Both girls received second-degree burns on their hands and feet as Breanne led the way out of the tent.

Kimberlee's five-year-old sister, Brianna, and her mom, Tonya Dresnek, were still inside the home, and so the girls immediately attempted to get them out. Since flames already blocked the unlocked door nearest to them, the girls began pounding on other, locked doors, to get Kimberlee's room to open one. …